Sleeve lengthening means



Oct. 24, 1939. A, WOELFEL, SR 2,177,587

SLEEVE LENGTHENING MEANS Filed Jan. 10; 1938 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,171,587 sLEEvE LENc'rnENmc MEANS Charles A. Woelfel, Sr., Allison Park, Pa.

Application January 10, 1938, Serial No. 184,333

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-269) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in shirts generally, although more particularly to shirt sleeves.

Heretofore shirt manufacturers have found it 5 necessary to produce their shirts in several sleeve lengths for each neck size in order to correctly fit the users thereof. By my invention I propose to substantially decrease the number of different v sleeve lengths which are manufactured, thereby l materially reducing the number of differently sized shirts which the manufacturer has to produce and the retailers have to carry in stock.

Therefore the object of my invention is to provide a shirt wherein the sleeves thereof are pro- 16 vided with tucks which are positioned within the shoulder seams and joined thereto by lines of chain stitches whereby the wearer, when he is desirous of lengthening the sleeves, can pull one end of each line of stitches and thereby ravel the 20 same to free the tucks and effect the lengthening of the sleeves.

With the above and other objects in view which will more fully appear, the nature of the invention will be more clearly understood by following the description, the appended claims, and the several views illustrated in the accompam'ing drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly in section,

so of a shirt constructed in accordance with my invention,

Figure 2 is a detail section taken through a shoulder seam and showing the tuck in its normal position, and

35 Figure 3 is a similar view but showing the tuck in its unfolded or released position.

Like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing. I

40 Referring to the drawingv in detail, my invention is embodied in a shirt A which comprises a body portion 5 and sleeves 8, 6 which'are joined thereto by shoulder seams I, I which include spaced lines 8, 8 of stitches. The upper portion 45 of each sleeve 0 is folded under, i. e., within, the adjoining seam I to form a resultant tuck 9 which is invisible from the outside. The tuck 9 is joined to the seam 'l by a line of chain stitches l0 throughout its length, said chain stitches are preferably located intermediate the lines 8, 8 of stitches, said chain stitches of each line being preferably formed from a single thread and comprising a series of enchained loops, although a line of double chain stitches may be employed if desired.

If it becomes necessary to increase the length of the sleeve 6, one end of the thread of the line III of chain stitches is pulled, thereby ravelling the stitches and freeing the tuck 9. The tuck is then pulled outwardly relative to the shoulder seam, thereby effecting the lengthening of the sleeve an amount equal to the length of the tuck.

It is of course to be understood that the details of structure and arrangement of parts may be variously changed and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1. A shirt including a body portion and sleeves, the upper end of each sleeve fashioned with folded sections one overlying the other, said body portion fashioned with marginal edges having a folded underlying section engaging and overlying the outermost of said first mentioned sections, a single line of stitches extending through the respective edges and all of the respective sections for connecting the respective sleeves to the respective edges to maintain said first mentioned sections within said body portion in a manner whereby severance of said stitches permits unfolding of the respective first mentioned sections to effect a lengthening of said sleeves, and lines of stitches extending through said marginal edges and the immediate adjacent sections of said sleeves for permanently securing the latter to said body portion.

2. A shirt including a body portion and sleeves, the upper end of each sleeve fashioned with folded sections one overlying the other, said body portion fashioned with marginal edges having a folded underlying section engaging and overlying the outermost of said first mentioned sections, a single line of stitches extending through the respective edges and all of the respective sections intermediate of the ends thereof for connecting the respective sleeves to the respective edges to maintain said first mentioned sections within said body portion in a manner whereby severance of said stitches permits unfolding of the respective first mentioned sections to effect a lengthening of said sleeves, and 'a line of stitches on each side of said single lines of stitches and extending through each of said marginal edges and the immediate adjacent section of eachof said sleeves for permanently securing said sleeves to said body portion.

CHARLES A. WOELFEL, Sa. 

